In-depth Insight on Important Issues

FDOT is Restoring 13 Miles of Canals in Indian River County, FL.

FDOT: Restoring canals means they are restored to their “original design configuration”.

13 miles of canals in Indian River County, FL are currently being restored through funding by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

The project is not a line item in the FDOT’s budget but included in their overall budget for “asset management”.

DBI Services is contractor performing the restoration project.

DBI Services is a global leader in transportation infrastructure operations and maintenance with over 60 locations worldwide.

Restoration at East 45th Street

According to ifas.ufl.edu, “Dense growths of aquatic plants can block the water flow of drainage canals by as much as 95%, allowing only 5% of the intended water capacity to flow through the canal. Florida rainfall averages nearly 60 inches per year. Therefore, drainage is a major function of canal systems.”

Aquatic plants clog these systems, Without regular and frequent management they are useless for flood control.

Overview of Route 1 in lime green. Lime green identifies FDOT assets. The top horizontal bar is 47th Street. Here are scenes from that site:

Looking East

Looking West to Route One.

Canal connecting 47th Street to 45th Street canal.

Roughly one-third of the project is devoted to cutting and killing Brazilian Pepper trees. They are one of the most aggressive and wide-spread of the invasive non-indigenous exotic pest trees in the State of Florida.

They produce an umbrella or sorts that denies sun to all other plants and provides a very poor habitat for native species.

Rather than dig out the Pepper tree stumps to remove them FDOT paints a herbicide around the sides of the stumps to kill them. This prevents damage to bankings and fencing from uprooting them.

The remainder of the project is to clean the canals. FDOT’s engagement with DBI is that all 13 miles must be completed by December 31, 2018.